Henry Howland Crapo

author

Henry Howland Crapo

1804–1869

A self-taught surveyor, teacher, and businessman, he rose to become Michigan’s 14th governor during the closing years of the Civil War and the start of Reconstruction. His life also traces the growth of Flint, where lumber, land, and railroads helped shape both his fortune and his public career.

1 Audiobook

Address delivered by Hon. Henry H. Crapo, Governor of Michigan, before the Central Michigan Agricultural Society, at their Sheep-shearing Exhibition held at the Agricultural College Farm, on Thursday, May 24th, 1866

Address delivered by Hon. Henry H. Crapo, Governor of Michigan, before the Central Michigan Agricultural Society, at their Sheep-shearing Exhibition held at the Agricultural College Farm, on Thursday, May 24th, 1866

by Henry Howland Crapo

About the author

Born in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, in 1804, Henry Howland Crapo had limited formal schooling but built his education through steady self-study. He worked as a surveyor and teacher, then spent many years in New Bedford in local public service and business before moving west to Michigan.

In Flint, he became a major figure in the lumber trade and was also involved in railroad development and land investment. His success in business led naturally into politics: he served as mayor of Flint, then in the Michigan Senate, and was elected governor in 1864.

As Michigan’s 14th governor, he served from 1865 to 1869, guiding the state through the end of the Civil War and the opening of Reconstruction. He was known as a Republican leader with a practical, business-minded style, and he died in Flint in 1869, not long after leaving office.